PennDOT to shut down Route 50 bridge over Chartiers Creek for three weekends
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Starting tonight, a construction project on a major roadway will be shutting down for the weekend and forcing 22,000 drivers to detour.
PennDOT is replacing a bridge that is the major connector from Bridgeville to Interstate 79. This would normally take months, but the way they're doing it, they're going to get it done over three weekends.
You probably drive across it without a thought, but the bridge over Chartiers Creek coming out of Bridgeville to I-79 is pretty much done.
"We're replacing the superstructure of the bridge and partially some of the substructure as well," said PennDOT's Jason Zang, Assistant District Executive for Construction for District 11.
With the replacement, PennDOT is adding three lanes to bridge, expanding from the current three lanes to seven.
It's part of the overall facelift to the Bridgeville/I-79 interchange, and instead of shutting down the road for months, it's going to be a short term closure.
"The bridge has already been built off site," Zang said. "It has been disassembled in big, large pieces and brought down and set in place, kind of like building Legos."
PennStress, the same company who was response for building the beams for the new Fern Hollow Bridge, have fabricated this bridge. To be ready for the Friday delivery, they'll shut the existing span at 9 p.m. on Thursday and keep it closed until Monday morning.
Overall, the project will take three weekends to get it all done.
PennDOT has provided the following detour information to get around the closure:
West of the Bridge (South Fayette side)
- Take Millers Run Road (Route 50) westbound
- Take the ramp to northbound I-79
- From northbound I-79, take the Heidelberg/Collier (Exit 55) off-ramp
- Follow to Route 50
- End Detour
East of the Bridge
- Follow Route 50 eastbound
- Turn left onto the ramp toward I-79 Erie/Washington
- Take the I-79 South ramp toward Washington
- From southbound I-79, take the Route 50 Bridgeville (Exit 54) off-ramp
- Turn right onto Route 50 (Millers Run Road)
- Follow to Washington Pike (Route 50)
- End detour
The bridge and roadway will close at 9 p.m. on Thursday and reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday morning. The same closures will take place next weekend and the following.
